Enewsletter

Notes from Vegan
Outreach

Note to Members (especially
in the Northeast!)

Nearly all colleges are now in
session. Without Jenna Calabrese
out there every day, the many schools
in the Northeast are begging to
be leafleted! If you can leaflet
a school in your area, please contact us.

Even an hour or two can make a
big difference!

Activist Profile: Monica Ferroe

What made you decide to start
leafleting? If you were nervous
the first time, how did you get
over it?

I decided to leaflet with Jon Camp
as a volunteer just to help out
during his tour of the south in
2006. As with anything that is new
and unpracticed, there is some uncomfortable
anxiety. I was so nervous the first
few times that I thought I would
never want to leaflet on my own.
But that anxiety fades over time.
There is absolutely nothing to be
afraid of, because most people are
genuinely concerned about these
issues. On average, the ratio of
negative reactions to positive is
probably 1:300. Another thing that
helps me get over any nervousness
is knowing that as an AAC leafletter,
to endure a mere hour of nervousness
or aggravation is nothing compared
to the fear and discomfort that
factory farmed animals experience
24 hours everyday of their miserable
tortured lives.

What was your most positive
leafleting experience this year
and why?

There were so many positive experiences
this year, I cannot remember anything
specific. I get lots of "thank
you's." I can say that I NEVER
regret leafletting.

What would you say to individuals
hesitant about leafleting?

Stay positive! Take some deep breaths
and DO it! Also, I think that it
is important to try leafletting
more than once. Practice makes perfect
-- when you figure out the best
locations, the best times, and your
approach, you will witness for yourself
that the AAC program is the most
effective way to spread the word.
So, do not hesitate ... we all need
to speak up for these animals. If
you have any questions, just ask
-- anyone on the AAC
mailing list would be happy
to help out!

Note to Members in the Southeast

Suntrust bank is running a promotion
through 10/12 that can benefit Vegan
Outreach. Open a new free checking
account and make one purchase with
a debit card by 11/15, and Suntrust
will donate $100 to the customer's
preferred charity. You can learn
more here.

Marshmallows of the Week

Several folks have written in to
nominate their favorite vegan marshmallows
-- from Pangea
or from Sweet
& Sara.

Notes from Our
Members

At
the March for Peace today,
Jon Camp, Josh Balk, Ryan Merkley,
Delci Winders, Aashish Bhimani,
Kirsten Stade, Frank, Noelle Callahan,
Gary Lowenthal [at right; photo
by Jon] and I handed out 4,700
Even Ifs and Why Vegans,
along with 25 GCFE.
What an amazing day of outreach!
The crowd was remarkably receptive;
each of us had great interactions
with people. I've never encountered
so many vegetarians and vegans during
a day of leafleting; it was truly
inspiring and reminded me that all
the hard work each of us is putting
in, day after day, is really making
an impact. -Jenna Calabrese, 9/15/07

I just wanted to say
thank you for taking
such a friendly approach to turning
people on to vegetarian/veganism.
It's such a nice change from calling
everyone who doesn't subscribe to
veganism 100% a murderer. It can
be hard to be a vegetarian, especially
for students who have parents opposed
(and even hostile, in my case) to
the idea. I got your flyer from
someone handing them out on the
[Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign]
quad, and I'll be sure to pass it
on.-CM, 9/13/07

It was great to
be out leafleting again! Exchange
of the day [at U Victoria]:

Me: "Brochure against animal
cruelty?"
Male student: "I'm with ya,"
and continues walking. A moment
later he turned, walked back to
me to shake my hand and then said:
"That (gesturing to the Even
If booklets in my hand) was
the tipping point, that right
there man ... for me and my
roommate!"

An amazing day at Sac
City College! It just
doesn't get better than this. I
received three thank-you-hugs for
being there and six (6!) people
asked how they could do more. Two
separate students took extras and
leafleted on the spot. More than
a few people asked for extras to
give to friends. I don't know what's
going on up here in Sacramento,
but it's something good!-Susan Rattenbury, 9/12/07

The
Toronto Vegetarian Association's
23rd Annual Vegetarian
Food Fair (the largest event
of its kind in North America) was
a huge success! We distributed 1,000
copies of the GCFE --
it is one of our favourites!-David Alexander, 9/13/07

Vegan Cowboy Matt Ball leaflets
U Arizona; photo by Anne Green.

Today, Victor and I
leafleted two colleges and a HS.
I had many memorable exchanges,
and answered many questions. For
example, one person said, "You
really changed the way I thought
about eating meat. The information
in here is really terrible. I don't
think I could ever eat another chicken,
pig or cow after seeing these pictures."-Miranda R, 9/13/07

Vegan Outreach is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing the suffering of farmed animals by promoting informed, ethical eating.